1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for stirring a liquid such as blood or the like, and an apparatus used for the method.
2. Discussion of the Background Art
In order to inspect a liquid specimen such as blood or the like, a specimen in a specimen container is normally dispensed into each container using a dispensation device having a nozzle every inspection to be conducted. However, in order to conduct accurate inspection, the concentration of components in each specimen thus dispensed must be the same. Accordingly, it is necessary to stir the specimen in the specimen container prior to dispensation so that the concentration of components is uniform all over the specimen.
As a method for stirring a liquid specimen such as blood or the like, a method using a stirring bar is known. However, if a device for stirring the specimen is provided or if a function of stirring the specimen is added to the dispensation device, the cost increases. Furthermore, in order to prevent contamination, it is necessary to add a function of washing the stirring bar to the dispensation device so that the dispensation device becomes large.
Therefore, a method using a nozzle of the dispensation device is often applied to stir a specimen. According to this method, a part of a specimen in a specimen container is sucked through the nozzle, and then kept in a tip capped on the forward end of the nozzle. Subsequently, the sucked specimen is discharged into the specimen container from the tip. As a result, the specimen is stirred.
However, this method has a poor efficiency. Therefore, in order to stir the specimen thoroughly, the suction and discharge of the specimen must be repeated many times. When the specimen is blood, the nozzle must be put deep into the specimen during suction because the components are precipitated at the bottom. Therefore, the amount of the specimen attached to the surface of the tip increases so that much time is required to clean the tip after stirring.